Shards of the Moon
by eNCee Death
Summary: When a client refuses to attend compulsory meetings for the Seiyo Embassy, Tadase Hotori is sent to the quiet town of Shirai to convince Amu Hinamori to see why. But what can a Kitsune do when his dragon client is just so charming in avoiding his attempts? What is the eccentric Glass Maker hiding from him? Life with Amu is never boring but, perhaps, a bit more than he can handle.
1. The Turtle of Glass and Gold

Hello, sweeties!

I'm eNCee Death, oh, but you can call me Deathy. This'll be the first fanfiction I've ever posted so if it's a bit below par compared to others you've read, now you know why. Anywho, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: **I obviously do not own any of Shugo Chara!'s canon characters**.

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 **The Turtle of Glass and Gold**

When one thought of the supernatural in Japan, the first thing that probably popped up was the Yokai. They were, after all, powerful creatures that meddled with their mortal neighbours throughout the history of Japan. Some were just mischievous, playing harmless tricks and causing simple inconveniences. Others were more malicious, and dealt more grievous damage. Lots of Yokai seamlessly integrated into human society. There were also others, usually from dignified and traditionalistic clans, that chose isolation from creatures not of their kind.

However, Yokai weren't the only supernatural creatures in this land. In such a modern time increasingly more open to change and the new, other beasties from far off lands came to call Japan home. Dragons of all breeds, fairies of all kinds, monsters from the west, and even foreign deities were cosily blending in with the drones of humans walking about the country. It was hard, however, to live in an alien land. All sorts of trouble could fall upon a touring monster less than familiar with the complex lands of Japan.

That was where The Seiyo Embassy came in.

An agency formed to accommodate and monitor the foreign monsters living in Japan, Seiyo Embassy was a touring monster's best friend in terms of security, protection, and even housing. In exchange for their services, the monsters were charged in varying degrees of fees and taxes. The price was never too high so it was seldom any monster complained anyway. But perhaps the reason why monsters under Seiyo Embassy's protection were so cooperative was because the agency was just so active in their service. Their representatives or "Guardians" as the employees were called, were often dispatched to monitor or help out monsters that the Embassy deemed in need of help. Compulsory meetings – often held monthly or semi-annually – were attended in all the cities of Japan for the purpose of evaluating the well-being of Seiyo's clients. With such a beautifully transparent agency, one would think there wouldn't be any problems with the clients.

That thought would be ridiculously wrong.

In the main building of the Seiyo Embassy, hard at work in front of three large computer screens, with nimble hands practically gliding over the keyboard, there was one Guardian who seemed to be at his wit's end over a particularly stubborn client. His ears were flattened atop his head, expressing the Kitsune Guardian's disdain over the whole situation. His mahogany red eyes zoomed through the text that appeared on his screens, reading the data and accounts of a monster who had not been attending meetings for quite a while. "No wonder Takeida-san gave me his client. She hasn't been cooperating at all.." he muttered softly to himself. He had to comb back a few of his blonde locks with his hand, irritated by how they were blocking his view. He contemplated on whether he should have them cut but quickly dismissed the thought. His hair didn't bother him _that_ much.

"Pays all fees and taxes on time, submits forms when needed, writes feedback on her stay in Japan, and pretty much does every requirement _except_ for going to the meetings." The monster he was looking into had an immaculately clean account. Everything that needed her cooperation was done with impeccable timing, sometimes even in advanced, and she had no records of violence of any sort during her stay. It didn't make sense.

If she could do all that so well, why couldn't she just attend the meetings? They only lasted a few hours and were only hosted at the end of every month. All monsters had to do was go there, socialize a bit, submit a short report on their general status, and enjoy the buffet served there. What was it in meetings that made this monster not want to go? There had already been several attempts the Embassy had made to coax the client into coming. They had sent letters and Guardians over to inform her of her boycotting, to try and get her to change her mind, but all were in vain.

" _Tadase Hotori, please come to the President's office. You are needed._ "

The sound of his name from the sound system got his attention, his ears perking up in attention. "I wonder what _this_ is about _._ " The sarcasm in his soft voice went unnoticed in the confines of his office. Tadase knew why he was being called, and he tossed a slightly irritated glance at the picture on his monitor. _This is getting ridiculous_ , he thought with a sigh. Putting on the coat that had hung limply on his desk, he hustled out of his office and down the long hallways of the embassy.

He was glad that he was being called during the quieter hours of the day. With few monsters coming in at this time, the Guardians often kept to their cubicles or in the many lounges that the Seiyo Embassy offered. His footsteps were equally silent as made his way up to the rather large door to his superior's office. On a side note, Tadase mused at the President's fondness for having lots of space. " _Tsukasa-ojisan does love his space._ " he thought fondly.

His uncle was patiently waiting for him by his desk when Tadase finally arrived. He had occupied himself with a book, a fairy tale book no less, and was apparently so absorbed in the story that he had not noticed the younger blonde's arrival. In many ways, Tadase was Tsukasa's spitting image. They, with their platinum blonde hair and soft facial features, coupled with a slim, lithe body structure were often mistaken as brothers by strangers to the Embassy. Even among other Kitsunes, Tadase and his uncle were almost identical in appearance – save for the fact that Tsukasa's eyes were purple. "Tsukasa-san." Tadase greeted with a small bow. His voice seemingly snapped the older Kitsune out of his book and finally looked up to meet his gaze.

"Ah, Tadase-kun! Glad you came so quickly. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"Nothing I couldn't handle later, I assure you."

"Good, good. I assume what you were handling was the case Takeida-san couldn't take?"

"That's right."

Tadase saw the amused smirk that unfurled on his uncle's maw, and he couldn't help but feel that the older Kitsune was up to something. His tails, nine blond ones in total, shuddered in knowing dread. He could only return a small smile of his own to mask the unease that was starting to form in his stomach. "I suppose you called me to talk about - "

"Amu Hinamori, yes. Odd little dragon, she is. I've tried so many times to have someone get her to come to the meetings but she is quite adamant on not going." Tsukasa let out a troubled sigh and rested his chin on his hand. "I can't have a client not go to meetings. It worries me. Even though the Guardians who went to visit her assured me she was doing fine, it still bothers me." It was then, when Tsukasa's eyes met Tadase's, that the older Kitsune smiled sweetly at his nephew.

"Now that is where you come in, Tadase-kun."

"E-eh? Me? What do you mean?"

"It's simple, really. All I need you to do is go to where Amu Hinamori is and convince her to go the meetings."

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, ojiisan. I don't do visits, I'm…nervous around other monsters."

His uncle only waved a hand at him dismissively. "Don't be ridiculous! You'll be fine. You're around the same age so she's more likely to trust you. Besides, I've already scheduled for your flight to Shirai and I won't let that money be wasted." he chuckled. "Oh, and one more thing. You'll have to pretend to be looking for a job at her shop, as I'm sure you've read that she owns, and work for her for a bit. Get some information. It'll be like you're undercover! Isn't that wonderful? Just like in the storybooks! Here you go. I'll send you a message with further detail on the subject. Right now you have to get to the airport!"

If only Tadase matched the enthusiasm his uncle was showing him. He wanted to pretend he was excited about the plan, but he honestly didn't want any part of it. There was a reason why he chose an office job that required minimal contact with other creatures. It wasn't that he hated company, but he was just more comfortable by himself.

Of course, now that his uncle had made up his mind about the matter of Amu Hinamori, there was virtually nothing Tadase could do to change the older Kitsune's mind. One way or another, his uncle would get his way, and Tadase was in no condition to try and wriggle himself out of this situation.

~••~••~••~••~••~

Before he knew it, he was halfway across the country to visit the small town of Shirai where his troublesome client resided. He kept quiet during the whole flight and was content to stare out the window to admire the clouds that his plane zoomed through. "What have I gotten myself into?" he said to himself. There was no way he could have anticipated being suddenly transferred from his office to a beach town, forced to observe and work for the client that got him transferred in the first place.

"Would you like some tea, sir?" a passing flight attendant offered. "With milk, please." he said with a smile, ignorant to the blush that slapped itself on the young attendant's face – and those of several other passengers who had seen the smile – as she prepared him his drink. It couldn't be helped since he was a Kitsune, and Kitsunes were quite famous for their beauty, so he tried to ignore the admiring glances colleagues and strangers alike shot him whenever he passed by.

To be honest, it was almost annoying.

"Oh, thank you." He took his tea and delighted in its warmth as he sipped it down. Tea was often the remedy to ease his anxieties – he'd probably be drinking a lot of it with what he'd have to go through. The thought of having to cooperate with a stranger for quite possibly a year or so gave him enough reason to order a few – ten, to be precise – more cups of tea before his plane finally landed on the thin strip of runway that tiny Shirai had to offer in its equally small airport.

Shirai was quite a place though, that Tadase had to admit. Since it was a town exclusively for monsters, all the folk that wandered the streets of it did not hide their more….unhuman appendages. There was no need to hide their identities so they didn't. They also did not have to put a lot of restraint on their powers, and therefore used them to keep little Shirai quite a clean town.

"I almost forgot how much I liked monster towns." Tadase said happily. Even the atmosphere felt more relaxed here, and that relaxed the Kitsune as well. He took in a breath of the town's fresh air. The crispness of grass and flowers combined perfectly with the smell of the ocean, sending gentles breezes all across the town and effectively calming Tadase as he at last set foot in his new home. Or at least he'd hope it'd be like home.

With suitcases at hand and the address of his new living place in the other, he dove into the hubbub of Shirai's somewhat busy streets. The monsters of Shirai were very hospitable, very open, very friendly, and quite genuine by Tadase's deductions. They pointed him to where he needed to go in detail, which made finding his way a whole lot easier.

"Just follow this street until you reach a bookstore and then take a left."

"It's just a block from here. Not far at all, dearie."

"You'll know you're there when you see a turtle sign hanging in front of this large beach house. Can't miss it."

Only forty minutes passed before Tadase found himself in front of what was probably the biggest house he had seen in the entire town. His mahogany eyes were wide in awe at such a sight. Unlike the smaller buildings of stone and concrete, this house integrated woodwork with the stone and metal. He noted that it was a two-story house as well, which made him wonder just how many monsters were living in this house. He had to double check the address to see if he got the place right.

"This is it all right." he said dumbly.

The front of the house, clearly seen over the white picket fence that surrounded it, was apparently altered to accommodate large glass display windows, all of which boasted beautiful works of art molded and crafted onto glass. Tadase was impressed by the items on display, particularly that of a peacock whose glass tail was speckled with fine jewels and gold lining. _These are incredible_ , he thought. He couldn't stop staring at these wonderful pieces that seemed to be staring back at him, their cold eyes of jewel seemingly full of life, a feat that only great glass artisians could accomplish. Upon looking up, he also saw the sign a local had told him about.

A sea turtle rendered in stained glass and gold lining hung securely in front of the house-turned-shop, its glass in varying shades of blue and green, engraved with the words: **The Glass Turtle,** which was probably the name of the business. "Even the sign's gorgeous." he exhaled in delighted disbelief. The art was so enthralling that he forgot what he was supposed to be doing and kind of just stood there looking at pieces by the window.

He failed to notice a figure coming out of the shop and walk towards him until they cleared their throat. "Can I help you?" the voice said in a cool sort of tone. Tadase let out a small gasp and took a step back as mahogany eyes met honey-gold. His cheeks flushed pink in slight embarrassment and he could only offer an apologetic smile. "Oh, yes, sorry about that. I came here for the job offer and I…" his voice trailed off as he registered the person, or dragoness, in front of him. Amu Hinamori, he thought to himself. He had seen her picture in her profile but up close, she seemed so different.

Tadase studied her. Wild bubble-gum pink hair glittered with what looked like shards of glass and gems and was partially held back by a stained glass headband, honey-gold eyes, fair skin tempered a light brown from exposure to the sun, her body a soft hourglass thin. A pair of avocado high waist shorts tightly held onto the white shirt she wore, further shaping all the right curves she had, partially covered by the sleeveless black hoodie on top. Striped socks rode along the length of her legs that stopped only inches from her shorts, and revealed just a flash of skin. Black boots tied by green laces lifted her up an inch or so in height, but that still made her a good five inches shorter than him. The thick glass-plated gold choker she wore housed one of the whitest pearls he'd ever seen in its center. Cast under mid-afternoon sunlight, she glowed, ethereal, as the glass danced rainbows on her chest.

To say that the girl was pretty was an understatement. He had seen many faces in his time, but even Tadase had not seen a girl like the one before her. He needed a minute to compose himself, lightly scolding the fact that he had been gawking. "I was hoping the position was still open," he finally told her. He saw a flash of white as the pinkette smiled at him. "Oh, it is, and you couldn't have come at a better time." Her eyes looked at him with a professional coldness, studying him as he had her only moments ago, albeit without the dumbfounded look he had.

"You don't look like a glass maker. You don't have the smell on you. Hmm, could probably give you the counter." She placed a hand on her hips and bit her lips as she stared at him some more. "Yeah, that'll work. You look good with numbers. You any good with balancing books?" Accounting he could do. Tadase nodded in reply to the question, which made Amu relax a bit. "Great! I'll show you around," she grabbed his hand, possibly ignoring the small blush the sudden contact gave him, and pulled him towards the doors.

"I'm Amu Hinamori if you're wondering. 160 years old. Glass Dragon," she said with a passing glance at him. Her eyes told him he was to do the same, so he obliged. "Tadase Hotori. 165 years old. Nine-tailed Kitsune."

"Ooh, a fox. Don't see one of those here often."

"I suppose not. We're more comfortable in forests or big cities."

"You're missing out, then. Beach towns are always interesting. Got good festivals here, too."

Amu suddenly stopped in her tracks which consequently made him crash into her back. Before he could even speak, she spun around to meet his eyes again, the cold glint returning to those intense eyes of hers. "Wait a minute," she said evenly. Tadase suddenly felt a chill up his spine. Had she figured out who he was? Tsukasa would never forgive him if he was found out on the first day. "Y-yes?" the blonde managed to stammer. Scrutinizing eyes studied his face, her brows knitting together in concentration. "You," Amu muttered. This was it, he thought. He'd have his cover blown and be sent packing to Seiyo. _Maybe I can make up a story. Although, I'm kind of terrible at lying, it'd be better than having to go back so soon_. As her mouth opened to reveal his true identity, the pretty boy could only steel himself.

"Are you guy or a girl?" she finally said, her eyes refusing to let his gaze escape her.

"What?" he squeaked.

"You heard me. You a dude or chick?" At first he thought she was joking. Surely she was just toying with him, right? Tadase hated being toyed with. And yet, from the serious expression she had on her face, the question was indeed real. "G-guy," he finally answered. Seeing Amu's face shift to one of surprise so quickly was both relieving and degrading at the same time. She obviously hadn't figured out who he was, which took off a huge boulder of anxiety right off his shoulders. On the other hand, she also hadn't figured out his gender, which crushed whatever pride he had as a male in an instant.

 _Am I that feminine?_ A little part of him wept at how unmanly he was. How embarrassing, he thought to himself. "Really? Huh, had you pegged for a girl. You smell so pretty and, well, not to offend or anything but you kinda look like those shoujo characters from mangas." His pride was practically being grounded into dust at this point. "It's fine. I get that often," he chuckled weakly. "It's just how I am, I suppose."

It killed him even more to see a look of amused pity on the pinkette's smile. _Kill me._ She gently patted him on the shoulder and let out a small giggle. "Well, we'll just have to fix that, won't we? I bet I can get you looking manlier in no time. Take it as an apology gift for this little misunderstanding," she beamed at him with a warmth in her eyes. "Really sorry about that, by the way." As she pushed him through the doors of the shop, one he'd have to call home for the foreseeable future, he couldn't help but glance back at her, and admire the her upfront attitude. She seemed nice enough and was certainly honest with her thoughts. Who knew? Maybe this assignment would be an easy one.

And yet, in the back of his mind, he had a feeling that it would be anything but that.

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I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's a labor of love. I'd also really appreciate a review, as it could help me improve my writing. Constructive criticism is very welcomed, but please don't spam. Rate and Review! See you in the next installment, sweeties. (*￣▽￣*)ﾉ"


	2. A Trail of Glass Stars

Here is the second installement of my story, sweeties.

Before anything I want to extend my warmest thanks to the readers kind enough to write me a review. Your suggestions and compliments are very appreciated - and it made my day when I read them. I hope you enjoy this new chapter! ( ó㉨ò)ﾉ

Disclaimer: **I obviously do not own any of Shugo Chara!'s canon characters.**

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 **A Trail of Glass Stars**

In all honesty, Tadase had never seen so much coloured glass in his life.

As he was ushered inside the store by his eager new boss, he couldn't help but marvel at all the glass pieces decorating the receiving room. Glass birds of blue hung daintily on nylon strings above, gently bobbing up and down to the soft breeze of a rather large air-conditioning unit, somewhat mimicking the way seabirds flew, and twinkled under the light. The walls had glass tiles that depicted the sky and the ocean surface, complete with tossing waves, foam and all. Even the floor was decorated with various sea creatures rendered in glass. A giant sea turtle dominated over the floor right smack in the middle of the room, its multi-colored shell housing the name of the store. Just like the sign, he mused.

These were all made by the store workers, he decided. It'd be ridiculous if they hadn't. He also thought it was quite clever of them to show off the calibre of their skill so subtly. The glass was indeed everywhere, true, but the way it was arranged, the way they didn't cover all the walls and floors with them but merely accented was very well-done. It didn't blow up in one's face and tried to grab their attention, no. It was set up to be more of an Easter egg, something to be pleasantly enjoyed if one noticed it.

"These are incredible," he said out loud.

His face must've matched the awe in his voice, for when he turned to look at Amu, she had a small grin on her face. Pride, was it? She had every reason to be, he thought to himself.

"Yeah. My team made them. Best glass artists in the country," she chuckled. "You're gonna love them. They're a bit eccentric, mind you, but they're a blast to be with."

Her grip on his hand tightened ever so slightly as she pulled him through the room, past the counter, through a large door, and into what he believed was a studio room. "Woah. This is…" he found himself struggling to find the right adjective to describe what he saw. Glass pieces, far as the eye could see, were scattered around the enormous room. Towering statues, dainty figurines, intricately designed vases, paintings, murals, windows, and so much more stood gleaming, shining, and oh so beautifully before them. The kitsune had to shake his head to get himself out of the entrapment of the gorgeous art pieces.

There were just so many of them. They were everywhere and, apparently, neatly arranged by the category of artwork.

"Amazing, I know. I get that a lot," he heard Amu say, patting him on the shoulder as she let out a small laugh. "Come on, the team's in the Baking Room just next door. Oh, just don't break anything, mmkay? Otherwise I'll consider it sold and will be expecting some cash on the spot." She let go of his hand and rushed into the thick of it, stopping only to wave him over with a hand.

He was quick to recover and followed suit, careful to avoid bumping into any of the glass. He didn't know how this store priced their merchandise, but it was safe to say that he'd be taking out quite a sum of money from his wallet if he broke even the tiniest one.

"So," Amu suddenly spoke out as they traversed through the room, "this place is the Display Room. All the finished stuff we're ready to sell gets moved here to be viewed by potential buyers. As you notice, they're all arranged specifically to make finding what you want easier. Makes it easier for the customers, too." She stopped by a group of glass bird statues and pointed at a thin, yellow line that seemingly encircled the bunch. "This little thing here activates if any piece gets taken out by unauthorized hands. Sounds off the alarm and, trust me, you do not want to steal from me," she said. He nodded solemnly at her. She still had that friendly smile on her face but Tadase could see the warning in her eyes that dared him to try and take any of the pieces, hinting that he would live much longer if he listened to her.

And he intended to.

His mind wandered again once they resumed their walking. Amu went on about a funny story about the time she caught someone trying to pocket a mouse figurine but he only caught tidbits of it, as he was preoccupied with other things. Like, for instance, how he planned to get her to go to meetings. He couldn't think of anything at present. She didn't leave him any openings to start such a topic. Frankly speaking, she didn't give him a chance to speak at all. He'd have to be really careful about how he'd tell her about it. Timing was also important. Catching her in a bad mood would probably be disastrous – at least for him. He was confident in his ability to protect himself and he believed Amu wasn't the sort to be physically aggressive – at least as far as her records were concerned – but she was still a dragon, and dragons were always a potential threat when pissed off. He'd make sure he wouldn't come off too strong when the time would come for him to tell her.

Tadase had seen a fraction of their rage once a few years back, and he was sure he'd never want to be on the receiving end of that rage. Ever.

It only took them a few more minutes before they finally reached a very large door, obviously so to accommodate the moving of bigger pieces from room to room, and went through it. The Baking Room was a little more than half the size of the Display room. It resembled something like a kitchen, he thought, but instead of herbs and spices, jars and canisters of gems and gold and silver bars were atop the counters. Chisels and flamethrowers, and a variety of tools were about the room as well, along with tiny shards of glass and jewel that littered about the floor.

"Better wear these, Tadase-kun."

He turned to see Amu holding a pair of thick boots, apparently already wearing a pair of her own. The pinkette pointed to a rack of shoes by the door. She told him to change shoes – jokingly saying the glass would pierce right through to his feet otherwise – before guiding him to a large group of specialized ovens. The boots, he realized, had some sort of metal plate inserted somewhere between the sole. He could hear it clink slightly as he walked, which made walking quite a bit more difficult since the boots were heavier than they looked.

He soon caught sight of the first glass artist in the room.

The guy sat on a stool and was hard at work by the open fire, moulding and shaping the body of what seemed to be a lion. He worked bare-handed with the hot, malleable glass, seemingly unaffected by the intense heat the medium gave off. Tadase took a closer look at the guy's face. Dark orange hair. Pointed ears. Fanged teeth. Green reptilian eyes. He was a Fire Dragon, Tadase deduced. As if to confirm his guess, the same guy blew out a spray of fire from his mouth and onto a patch of hardening glass.

"Kukai-kun, I finally found us a new worker!" Amu's voice rang out.

The Fire Dragon, Kukai as he was called, turned his gaze towards them before responding with an ear-to-ear grin. "Eh? You don't say? Damn, that was fast," he said. He got up from his seat and shook off a few droplets of molten glass off his arms before coming jogging towards them. Tadase stifled a cough as Kukai gave him a slap on the back, used with all the force Fire Dragons were infamous of having. "Well, well! Welcome to the family, newbie!" Kukai laughed. "Don't think I need to introduce myself since you know my name. Think you also know what I am, too. Ah, but who are you?" Tadase was about to reply when Amu stepped forward and, with a grin to match Kukai's, decided to introduce him herself.

"This is Tadase Hotori. **He** is a Kitsune, about your age, and is our new accountant/cashier!"

"What? You sure he ain't a chick? Sure looks like one."

"Kukai! That's a pretty rude thing to say!"

"Psssh. Please. I bet you made the same mistake."

Amu's cheeks reddened in embarrassment before softly muttering about not being respected as the boss. "Oh, forget about it!" she finally said. "Where are the others? I need to show Tadase-kun to them."

"They'll be back in a bit. Needed to get some things in the Supplies Room. Nagihiko-san needed some metal frames and Rima and Yaya ran out of steel rods." Kukai replied. As soon as he said that, a door near the ovens flung open and, at least in Tadase's opinion, in walked the three other workers.

One of them was a man with flowing locks of purple and eyes a darker gold colour. He noted the three pairs of arachnid limbs extending from his back. Each limb held a metal frame, so Tadase presumed that was Nagihiko. "A Tsuchigumo." The kitsune muttered. Tsuchigumo were a type of powerful Yokai known for weaving some of the strongest, finest webs in the world. Tadase had met a number of them in his lifetime, a few of those he met were even Guardians for Seiyo.

The next figures sported a pair of tawny patterned wings. The colour of the wings differed from each other as one was blond and the other a brilliant ginger, which matched the hair colour of the girls they belonged to.

One was a very petite blonde whose curls nearly reached the start of her legs, her stare, cool and unimpressed was a stark contrast to the girl beside her. The other's hair was kept in bouncy pigtails kept by two, large, red ribbons, which suited the equally bouncy and energetic expression she wore on her face. Each held a couple of long metal rods. Perhaps to use as a stand of sorts, Tadase thought. They were some breed of Harpy or bird monster, he guessed, but he wasn't sure exactly which. Perhaps he'd ask them later, he told himself quietly. They spotted him immediately, and came closer once Amu called them over.

"Oh, I didn't know we had a visitor. Were we expecting one, Rima-san?" Nagihiko said calmly, looking at the blonde who was apparently Rima.

"Of course not, fool." came the sharp reply of the blonde.

"I don't think so either! Amu didn't say anything about a visitor, nope!" said the ginger, or Yaya, as Tadase deduced.

They flocked towards him with varying degrees of curiosity. Yaya seemed to be the most eager to know who he was, and Nagihiko was kind enough to greet him. Rima, on the other hand, merely looked at him as if he were something she didn't like – which he wouldn't be surprised to find was true.

Amu introduced him to them, hastily adding that he was male to their surprise – much to his chagrin as, again, his male pride took a beating – before explaining that he'd be working with them from then on.

"That took a lot less time than I thought. Good work, Amu." Rima smiled at the pinkette, offering her an almost adoring look compared to the glare she gave him.

"Yaya's got a new playmate! Nice to meet you, Tadase-chi!" Yaya giggled as she jumped happily around him.

He just stood there while the group rambled at him, his ears standing stiff on his head in shock. It was a little too overwhelming for Tadase, for lack of a better word, to be surrounded by so many monsters. Though he kept that friendly smile of his plastered on his face, he wanted nothing more than to have at least four feet of personal space. They were too close, he thought, too close. Even when he tried to distance himself, they merely took a step closer to him. He felt their voices growing louder and louder in his head and it took a good amount of self-control not to cover his ears to block the noise.

"Oi! Are you guys trying to suffocate him? Give him space!"

Amu's voice sliced through all the other sounds, earning her a stunned silence from her co-workers. They turned to her and saw that a frown had replaced her smile, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. What they did next seemed almost instinctual, or at least it was in Tadase's eyes. They had moved away from him a good couple of feet away. None had taken their eyes off the pinkette who had barked the command, all wearing remorseful – and embarrassed in Rima's case – looks as they muttered apologies to him.

This made Amu relax, and her smile returned again, much to everyone's relief. "There you go. Much better." She dismissed them away with a wave of her hand, telling them to get back to work and that they could all socialize when they were off the clock. Once they had all gone off to their work stations, the pinkette walked up to him and, much to his surprise, dipped her head in a deep bow.

"I'm **so** sorry about that, Tadase-kun!" she said. "You should've told me you didn't like to be crowded."

He found himself unable to reply to that, still stunned by the fact that this girl – his boss – was apologizing for something she didn't even need to apologize for. She didn't have to do that, he worried. It wasn't her fault, heck, it wasn't even the other's fault. When she finally straightened up, Tadase saw that she was morose and it made him hate himself for his social ineptitude.

If only he was better at socializing.

He didn't like seeing Amu sad, he realized. He couldn't explain why, but he didn't like it. Perhaps it was because he was the cause of it, but regardless, he suddenly felt like he had to change that. "Hinamori-san," he said softly, causing the pinkette to look up at him. "thank you…for helping me. That was really cool of you."

Amu's reaction was immediate. Her eyes widened in surprise at his compliment and, much to his amusement, gaped at him as if he were mad. "C-cool? Me?" she stuttered. Her cool façade melted into this awkward shyness, even accompanied by the faintest blush, one that Tadase had caught – and one he found himself wanting to see again. _Oh_. It made sense now.

Tadase had read over Amu's profile many times while he was still in the office. As he recalled, there was a note that said she was much softer than she seemed – he could confirm that. He watched her fluster about, playing with her fingers as she dismissed his compliment, muttering on about how it was just "the right thing to do". He could only smile at her. Watching her like this was so fun to watch that he almost felt disappointed that she recovered so quickly. Her blush had gone, her eyes cool and calm, her expression even once more.

"I-it was the least I could do." she mumbled.

Well, perhaps not _that_ quickly.

She had probably seen the way he was looking at her, for Amu's blush returned with a fierce vengeance. "S-stop staring, would you? Don't you know it's rude?" she snapped at him, although she seemed anything but mad at him. Embarrassed, Tadase thought. "Don't make me regret helping you out!" she growled, grabbing his hand once more and dragging him through the room. Tadase caught Kukai grinning slyly at him. The dragon gave him a thumbs up and mouthed "good job!" at him. Yaya and Nagihiko shared similar smiles as they passed by, and it seemed only Rima was not amused by what he did.

If anything, she seemed peeved off about it. He could still feel the daggers her glare was throwing at him as he and Amu went through another door and made a mental note to avoid the petite blonde as often as he could.

Amu showed him around the rest of the large house after that. The living room was right after the baking room, followed by the dining room, a surprisingly large and well-stocked kitchen, a large bathroom that extended outside the house, a few extra rooms on the ground floor, the bedrooms of the workers on the second, and then, finally, his own room. His room was right across the stairs that led up to the second floor, and was parallel to Amu's room, as he had noticed.

As she showed him in, he was pleased to see that his room was quite spacious – just the way he liked it. It had a bed, a closet, a large rug in the center of the room. A door leading to the balcony was a pleasant bonus. He'd be sure to go out there some other time. "You like it?" he heard Amu say. He turned around and nodded happily.

"It's bigger than I thought."

"Of course! I hope that's okay. When I had this place built, I made sure all the rooms were plenty big."

"I enjoy being able to walk around a room. Did you decorate this yourself? I really like the feel of everything here."

"Sure did! I happen to be an awesome decorator. Just don't ask me to cook you anything – unless you want to get poisoned."

They shared a laugh with each other and chatted about how he'd fit in with the chore schedule of the house. It was quite a relief to know that Amu liked keeping the house clean. He was even impressed by how organized she was when it came to house cleanliness. The baking room was an exception, she told him, but added that even that was more of an "organized mess" than anything. She gave him a small booklet that had words and numbers scribbled into it – Amu's writing, he guessed – that had all the rules and chore schedules he needed.

"I'll give you time to unpack. Feel free to wander around, Tadase-kun. Or maybe you can watch me and the others working. It's up to you," she grinned. "Dinner's in two hours. Kukai and Yaya eat like boars, so unless you want to sleep on an empty stomach, don't be late!" With that, she excused herself out.

Now that Tadase was left alone, with a good two hours to unwind and adjust, he finally let everything he just went through sink in. He flopped onto the incredibly cushiony mattress of his bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I still can't believe I'm going to have to work here." he breathed out. He shut his eyes and let himself be immersed into the sounds of his new home. It was a habit of his do this whenever he was somewhere new. He found quite calming. He needed calm right now. He'd appreciate it. Needless to say, what he heard gave him just that. A soft, lulling symphony of nature played before him.

From a distance, he could hear the waves crashing onto the shores of the beach. The cries of seabirds chimed in every now and then, accompanied by the sound of the rustling trees that moved to the rhythm of the sea winds. He caught the tingling sound of metal chimes somewhere, and he sighed, totally entranced by such wonderful sounds. They were so different from the urban symphonies of cities, so laid-back, so slow. Getting a coherent thought out of his head soon became impossible. He hadn't realized how tired he had been until now. He found himself unable to get up, not that he wanted to, it seemed. The sounds continued to lull him until, without his knowing, they had put him into an easy sleep.

When he came to, it was already evening. The afternoon sunlight was now a soft moonlight, whose beams peeked through the windows of his room. Everything was quiet, save for the rolling ocean waves that crashed in the distance. Tadase just lied there for a few minutes, still half-asleep as his eyes scanned around the room. But then they landed on a wall clock.

9:35

Suddenly he remembered what Amu had told him earlier and he bolted up from his bed. He was three hours late. Three whole hours late. Hastily fixing the crumples in his polo shirt, he practically stumbled down the stairs to see if he had at least been saved a scrap or two from dinner. His footsteps thudded softly on the wooden floorboards as he dashed towards the dining room. What horrible tardiness, he scolded himself. He wouldn't be surprised to see Amu angrily waiting for him by the time he got there. He wouldn't blame her. And yet, as he finally arrived at the dining room, he found that it was absolutely empty.

There were no plates on the table, nor scraps of food, nor even the lingering smell of food. This puzzled the blonde kitsune. "Where is everyone?" he said aloud. A glimmer of light on the floor got his attention and he looked down to see a small shard of glass, shaped like a star, lying there. As he studied it, he noticed there were more of them. A line of tiny glass stars led out of the dining room, and believing that it was meant for him, Tadase followed them around. They had him go into the living room before taking a sharp turn towards the glass doors that would lead to the backyard. He found that the door was left slightly ajar, and although it was dark outside, he could still see the glimmering of the glass pieces leading into it.

Why not, he thought, and followed their lead outside.

The moment he had taken a step out, he was suddenly bathed in a flash of light and he found Amu, along with all the others, waiting for him by a large tea table among the trees and shrubs of the backyard.

"Welcome to the family, Tadase-kun!" they all cheered.

He stood there quite dumbfounded – an expression that he seemed to be getting more of that day than any other time in his life – and found himself unable to say a word, again. Instead, he looked around the backyard. The little garden-like place had been decorated with glass streamers and colored glass lanterns, bathing the green with colours of red, blue, pink, and purple, to name some. Again he was witness to the craftsmanship of the monsters before him. All the decorations were so beautiful. He found himself smiling at them. What a pleasant surprise. And it was for him. He felt a warmth spread through him, and as he raced over to them, with smiles and grins to match his own, he was glad that his uncle sent him here. He was allowed to take his time with his mission wasn't he? And because of that, he felt it only right to enjoy the effort his new co-workers did for his sake.

The rest of the night was spent in a merriment he hadn't been a part of for some decades, and even for a shy kitsune as himself, he found it an enjoyable experience. Stories were shared, food was devoured. Even Rima made a bit of an effort to be civil with him – albeit making sure she sat between him and Amu.

"Hinamori-san." he called the pinkette while the others were playing a game of Truth or Dare.

"Yeah?" she said with a tilt of her head.

Tadase smiled at her and raised his glass towards her. "Thank you for this," he said.

Amu shot him a grin and rolled her eyes at him. "Sheesh, if you keep thanking me, you'll make me feel like I'm some kind of hero. Let's just enjoy the party, yeah? After all, we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow." she laughed and raised her glass to clink with his own. Tadase felt his heart thrum when he heard that laugh of hers again. He liked it, he decided. He didn't really think much of laughter, but he liked hers. _I wonder why_ , he mused. But he let that thought slide for now. He had a night of partying to enjoy.

"Cheers!"

* * *

What did you think? Was this okay? I struggled with how to introduce the other characters without rambling on for too long, but I think it turned out pretty well. As always, I'd appreciate any reviews you sweeties are willing to give. It helps, and it motivates.

See you in the next installment, sweeties! (*ﾟ▽ﾟ)ﾉ


	3. Golden Petals and Sunrises

Oh, poor sweeties!

I've been terribly inconsiderate, haven't I? I haven't updated in _ages_ and, if it makes you all feel better, it has been eating at my conscious for just as long. I really wanted to update, honest I did. It's just, certain unhappy events took place, leaving a certain fanfiction writer drained of much muse and inspiration for an extended period of time. Sometimes, when I tried to type out this chapter, I'd feel my hands freeze, and then I'd close my laptop.

It was...an unpleasant period in my life.

But like any person, I've bounced back - finally - and managed to finish this chapter! It's not as long as the first two, I think, but remember that I'm still recovering from the unhappy event. A personal thanks to the kind viewers thoughtful enough to send me kind, encouraging PMs. They helped me, really they did.

Oh, but I've kept those of you patient enough to read this long enough. On with the Chapter! As always, reviews are always warmly welcomed! Enjoy, sweeties.

Disclaimer: **I obviously do not own any of Shugo Chara!'s canon characters.**

* * *

 **Golden Petals and Sunrises**

The day began ungodly early at the Glass Turtle. Tadase was quite certain that even the sun was still asleep when his door was slammed open with a loud bang. "Yoohoo! Tadase-chi! Up and at 'em! Time for breakfast!" came the excited giggle of Yaya, "Amu-chi sent me to be your alarm clock since you're new here! Isn't she great?" He didn't bother with a reply, seeing as half his brain was still snoozing. All he could muster to do was get up – like a drunk person would – and wobble towards the feathery ball of energy that was his fellow employee.

"Y-yes, she is, Yaya-san." Tadase murmured drowsily.

"I know, hehe! Oh, but she's not so great if she catches us being late! Let's go!" the ginger Harpy grinned.

With strength he had not expected her to have, Yaya slung the Kitsune over her shoulder as if he were a sack. The sudden jerk snapped all the sleepy out of Tadase, leaving him blushing in embarrassment. "W-wait! Hold on, Yaya-san! I still have to change out of my sleepwear!" he protested.

"Do that later! Breakfast first! I'm still in my jammies, too!" Yaya pointed to her rubber duck print shirt and pajamas. Her hands tightened around his waist, eliciting a small yelp from the blonde, and shot out of the room. Tadase didn't even have time to scream when Yaya all but leaped over the second floor's railings, soaring towards a large, open window up ahead on outstretched wings. "Watch your head, Tadase-chi! Wouldn't want to lose it!" the ginger laughed.

He braced himself as they flew through the opening, his head just inches from making contact with the wooden panes. Once out, Tadase realized that they were now over the garden. He could see Amu and Rima setting up the table below, while Kukai and Nagihiko brought out the food. The smell of freshly-fried bacon and cooked beef drew out a bit of drool from his mouth, although he quickly wiped it away with a sleeve. "I think we should land now, Yaya-san." he told the Harpy girl.

"Yeah, about that… I'm kinda, not too good with landings," Yaya smiled.

Tadase felt himself pale with the realization of what was to come. "Do you mean..?" he faltered, "We're going to.."

"Crash land? You got it!" came her nervous chuckle.

With that, they plummeted to the ground.

He felt the ginger's arms wrap around him tightly as they made their fast descent. "I probably should have told you about this earlier!" she shouted. "Sorry!" Tadase looked down and met Amu's gaze – one that was a mix of both shock and irritation. "Oh, gods, Yaya! Not again!" he heard the pinkette shout.

"It's okay! I can handle it!" he shouted at the monsters below. Using the wind for support, Tadase quickly switched his position with Yaya so that he was beneath her. He then turned to face the ground and focused hard on a single patch of it. His eyes began to glow and quickly encased him and Yaya in a golden aura. As soon as it completely covered them, they quickly came to a halt just inches from hitting the grassy earth.

The halt had been so quick, so sudden, that the force of it caused a wave of air to blast through the garden. It sent several plates into the air – all of which Rima hastily caught – and had Amu staggering back a foot or two. But he did not notice this, for he was too focused on keeping his aura on. Carefully, slowly, he lowered Yaya and himself down, releasing his aura only when he felt the ground on his feet. He let out a sigh and sat down with a thump. The whole ordeal was just a bit too much for him, not when he had _just_ woken up.

"That could have been a disaster," he chuckled weakly.

He looked up to see Yaya hovering worriedly over him, spewing lightning-fast apologies about being too reckless and not accounting her bad landing skills. The ginger hadn't meant any ill will to him, he knew that. She was only trying to make sure he wasn't late on his first day. Tadase assured her with a smile that he was fine, and that the whole experience was quite interesting – in a good way. A little frightening for a few seconds, but still interesting.

"Tadase-kun! Yaya! Thank goodness you're okay!"

He saw Amu run towards them, worry painted on her face as she crouched down. He felt her hands, warm and soft, gently cup his face to check for injury. He felt his face redden with the sudden contact, but he said nothing. She did the same with Yaya as well, albeit with empty threats to ground her from flying for a month. "Honestly, of all the times to do that, Yaya." Amu groaned in annoyance.

"Hehe, sorry, Amu-chi!"

"Yes, well, 'sorry' isn't going to cut it. No desserts for you today."

"Whaat? But Amu-chi…"

"Nagi, Rima, make a note of that!" the pinkette pointed to her employees. Both nodded in reply and went to resetting the table, sending Yaya amused grins as they did. Yaya's tearful whines fell on deaf ears as Amu moved back to him. When she caught his gaze, he noticed her expression soften. "I'm sorry about that, Tadase-kun. Perhaps I should've sent Kukai up instead.." she said, "It was just, Yaya was so eager to wake you up and…" He shook his head and offered her an understanding smile.

"No, it's fine, Hinamori-san. You needn't worry. In all honesty, that was the most unique wake-up call I've ever gotten." When he saw a look of horror flash in her face, he quickly added, "I mean that in an amusing, good way." At that, the pinkette let out a sigh of relief and helped him up. "Well, savior of breakfast, I think you more than deserve a double portion of meat on your plate for your heroism." Amu smiled, guiding him towards the table as the others sat down to eat.

"That's kind of you, but I think I'll settle with eggs and salad for now." Tadase took his seat beside the pinkette and reached for the bowl of leafy greens. But the pinkette snatched the bowl away and plopped a plate of cooked beef in front of him instead. "Have you forgotten, Tadase-kun?" she said as she poured some salad into her own plate. "I promised I'd help you put some meat on your bones, and let me tell you, you need meat to gain meat. Veggies can wait."

Tadase _had_ remembered, yes. That didn't mean he was happy about it. Although the idea of him never being confused for a girl delighted him, if it meant he had to eat more meat – of which he tried to avoid – perhaps he'd be better off looking like a girl. A meal not starting with vegetables was a poorly enjoyed meal for him. Yet, as he saw how serious Amu was, and how intently she stared at him, he had no choice but to oblige. He needed to be in good graces with her if he _ever_ wanted to convince her to go to the Seiyo meetings.

Reluctantly, he took three large slices of beef and placed them on his plate. He reached for some mashed potatoes – a less healthy vegetable – to balance it out, but he looked to Amu for approval. She made no show of disapproval, which meant the Kitsune was free to put two big spoonfuls of the stuff.

He ate his meal with a polite smile on his face. Delicious as the food was, he still wished he could have eaten the vegetables first. The beef sat uncomfortably at the bottom of his stomach, no cabbage or lettuce to cushion it. He tried to distract his unhappy stomach by looking at what everyone else was eating. Apart from him, everyone seemed to be enjoying breakfast fully. Kukai was the most obvious, as the dragon's plate piled up and down with his constant placing and gobbling of food. Yaya, though banned from the creamy donuts and muffins, munched ravenously on the drumsticks she had – a sight that sort of bothered Tadase, seeing as Yaya was technically a kind of bird – with delight.

Rima and Nagihiko opted to actually use the silverware on the table. They neatly cut their food with the grace of an aristocrat, soundlessly chewing and enjoying the food in the own way. Although, as Tadase took a closer look at Nagihiko's plate, he found the meat the Tsuchigumo was eating wasn't beef or chicken, but something that looked oddly…human. _Is it human_ , Tadase thought with a shudder. Nagihiko looked up to meet the Kitsune's worried look and gave a kind – if not slightly sly – smile. "Everything all right, Tadase-san?" Nagihiko inquired.

Tadase quickly nodded and stuffed his mouth with meat to prevent himself from replying. It would be better if he simply did not question it. Who was he to judge the diet of a Yokai? He moved on last to Amu's plate. To his surprise, the pinkette only had a single muffin and a glass of milk to eat. The remnants of salad were obvious on her plate, but that didn't make her meal any heavier. She ate slowest out of the bunch, too, for she would pause between bites to sip at her milk or look out into the ocean before them. What she was looking at, Tadase couldn't say. His stare remained on her for the rest of the meal, only looking away for a bite of meat on his plate.

Suddenly she jerked up in her seat and a small grin spread across her face. "It's here!" she said loudly, causing all others present to stare towards the horizon. Tadase did the same too, and he felt his jaw slacken at the sight that greeted him.

From the darkness of the distance, a small ball of yellow light peaked through. As it did, streaks of orange and pink stretched out like lightning, alighting the sky in a gentle blue hue. The sun had finally awoken and with its wake, the darkness was banished into the crevices. He, like the rest of the monsters, watched intently at this slow but beautiful transition. The sun rose up beyond the watery outline and floated higher, higher into its cloud-dotted home. As soon as it did, a burst of light engulfed everything before it, temporarily blinding any who laid their eyes upon it. And then it vanished, leaving the shimmering light of Earth to bring those under its light into a new dawn.

Tadase had seen sunrises before. He sometimes got up just in time to see it rise up over the buildings of the city, like a giant street light illuminating the dark alleys of the concrete jungle. This, however, was another thing entirely. Here, in the absence of any tower or building, Tadase saw the sun in its entirety, and how its light rippled in warm colors across the ocean and sky, as if to embrace the world in a life-giving embrace. "Woah.." he whispered.

He heard Amu laugh, and he turned to see her beaming at him. "Gorgeous, isn't it?" she said. From where the pinkette sat, the sun seemed to engulf her in a warm light, lighting up the gems and glass on her being. It was like looking at a star, and Tadase could only utter a soft, "Yeah." in reply. Even when Amu returned her gazing at the sunrise, his eyes stayed on her until the very end of it.

His stomach ceased all its complaining by then.

~••~••~••~••~••~

The rest of the day went by without much incidence. After breakfast, he had changed into suitable clothes and was brought to the receiving room by Amu. She spent a good hour helping him familiarize with all the accounting books he'd be in charge of, adding a joke here and there to make it "less boring" – a feat she did well, as he sometimes had to bite his tongue to prevent an un-gentleman-like snort from escaping his mouth. "Other than that, you just have to greet customers that come in and call me if they have an appointment for a commission," were the last things the pinkette told him before vanishing into the Baking Room.

A few customers came throughout the working hours. Most simply bought the pre-made items in the Display Room, in which Nagihiko handled the touring of. A few came to claim previous commissions they had ordered and handed the payment to him as they left with their pieces.

The day went by in a flash and Tadase found that his work here was many times easier than what he did back at Seiyo. Just an hour before closing time, a figure walked through the door. He had asked for Amu, and introduced himself as an Otter Yokai by the name of Nikaido Yuu. He had explained to Tadase that he always ordered from the Glass Turtle every month, specifically to make bird statuettes made of gems. This month Nikaido wanted a Turquoise Parakeet. Tadase had found the man's taste a bit…odd, but otherwise found him endearingly hilarious.

Amu didn't seem to share the Kitsune's sentiment however, and practically grimaced when she saw the client who had called for her. She told Tadase that Nikaido always said her name wrong. "He keeps calling me 'Himamori'. For gods' sake, it's ' _Hinamori_ '!" she had hissed after the Otter man had left.

"Maybe he does it on purpose?" Tadase suggested.

"Oh, I _know_ he does it on purpose! He's the biggest clutz I know, but he's no idiot." Amu huffed.

"Why don't you just tell him?"

"You think I haven't? The guy won't listen to me no matter what!"

The pinkette let out a sigh as she flipped the door sign from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED'.

"Still, he pays on time and he orders expensive pieces, so I can handle a little name mispronunciation.." she shrugged. The pinkette walked over to where he was and leaned on the counter with a tired groan. He kept quiet as he watched his boss unwind before him. He tried to think of something to say, but it was for naught. What _could_ he say? He didn't have anything to talk about, unless Amu somehow loved tea as much as he did – which he highly doubted. He was only just settling into this comfortable silence when Amu suddenly jerked up, narrowly missing his chin with her head. "Oh my god, I forgot about the mineral delivery!" she shouted.

"Pardon?" he cocked his head to the side.

"No time to explain! I need your help! Let's go!" Amu told him, quickly running out of the shop before he could say a word.

His immediate reaction was to follow her, which was harder than it seemed. Dragons weren't particularly the fastest runners in the monster world and Tadase had personally bested several in contests of speed, so it shocked him to find himself actually _struggling_ to keep up with the pinkette. Their figures were blurs as they shot through the crowded streets of the town. His eyes were kept locked on Amu's fleeing figure, afraid he might lose sight of her if he wasn't careful. Monsters and Yokai let out startled gasps or shrieks as they weaved their way through them.

Tadase shot them an apologetic look, but he had no time to stop and explain. Eventually, they found themselves in Shirai's airport. Amu slowed a pace or two when they entered the building, but she was still speeding her way through. When she suddenly stopped in her tracks, Tadase skidded to a screeching halt. Unfortunately, the deceleration of his run was not fast enough, which had him colliding with her in a rather loud, painful manner. Both of them let out similar shrieks of surprise as they tumbled, rolling a few feet forward from the sheer momentum of the impact. When they finally stopped, they crumpled into a groaning heap.

"Oww.." Tadase winced, feeling pain in _all_ his limbs.

"Y-you got that right. Anything broken?" she got up slowly, painfully and offered him a hand.

Apart from a possibly roughed up elbow, he was okay. He was only glad that Amu seemed more or less unscathed. When they had fallen, he had instinctively rolled them around so that only he would hit the ground, shielding her from the other rolls by pulling her close to him. Needless to say, she was better off than him.

"Woah! That was freaking hilarious! You two looked like a couple of bowling balls!" a voice suddenly boomed.

Tadase turned to see who had said such insensitive words, a small growl forming in his throat. He was beaten to the punch though, as Amu charged at the man who said that with a very powerful headbutt. Said man let out an "Oof!" but otherwise withstood the assault. "Almost sent me flying there, Amu-chan! Your tackles getting better!" he laughed in a way that reminded him of Kukai.

The guy, now that he thought about it, kind of _looked_ like Kukai, too. Apart from the green, spiky hair, orange reptilian eyes, and slightly paler complexion, the guy was pretty much like Kukai's twin – one might go as far as to say the two just swapped eye and hair colors.

"I'll send you flying next time, you rock geek!" Amu laughed as she hugged the Kukai-lookalike.

Tadase sent Amu a look of confusion. They knew each other then, Tadase wondered. The pinkette brought the guy towards him, mirth shining in her eyes when she saw his look of befuddlement. "Tadase-kun, this is Daichi Souma. He's Kukai's cousin," she introduced. 'Daichi' gave an exaggerated bow before clapping Tadase in the back, almost taking him down with the force. Now he was _sure_ they were related.

"Hey there…..guy? Guy, yeah, guy. Nice to meet you!" Daichic took Tadase's hand and shook it aggressively, nearly making the Kitsune squeak in pain. "Um, y-yes, the feeling's mutual, Daichi-san."

Amu went on to explain how Daichi was in charge of sending the shop crates of various materials, all of which Kukai and her used to create glass and gems. She also added that it was because of that reason that she had rushed out so fast. Daichi couldn't wait too long for them due to other commitments he had, and he couldn't just leave crates of minerals in the airport, so he'd have to return next month to give them the materials.

"We can't afford to lose a shipment right now. We're running low on materials and we have _way_ too many commissions to risk going without extra." Amu signed a sheet of paper Daichi had given and waved a farewell to the dragon as he left to catch his flight. This left her and Tadase with five large, if not huge, wooden crates full of heavy minerals. "Think you can handle some of them?" Amu raised a brow at him, an impish grin on her face. He couldn't help but return a rather mischievous smile of his own.

"I believe so, Hinamori-san." And with that, he snapped his fingers. The crates were engulfed in the same aura he had used earlier and effortlessly floated several feet off the ground. To Tadase, who had been carefully practicing his levitation skills for decades on end, the crates weren't even close to a challenge for him. Amu seemed impressed by it though, as she ducked under the crates that now hovered with a gleeful spark in her eye.

"That would have taken me an hour or two to lift them by myself!" she chuckled. She gave him a light pat on the shoulder and winked at him. "Seems your pretty face is just a façade, huh, Tadase-kun? Think you can handle lifting me, too?" she laughed. And although he knew she was just joking, Tadase indulged her implied dare and engulfed her in his aura. She let out a small squeak when she was lifted off the ground, but ended up laughing as he placed her gently atop one of the crates.

"Now you're just showing off." she said with a smile.

"Is my strength to your liking?" he looked up at her bemusedly.

He had to bite back a chuckle when the dragonette's face became tinted with light red. She spluttered a bit before stuttering a shy, "W-well, yes. I like it very much. It's very ho – handy." There it was, he told himself. It was really hard to put it into words – which was comical due to his wide vocabulary – exactly how Amu's fumbling, shy side amused him so, how he wanted to see more of it every time it happened. Ah, but feelings aside, this was good. A person showing a side they didn't often show others meant a certain amount of trust had been established. To Tadase, this meant he was one step closer to fulfilling his mission. The more trust he gained from Amu, the more likely he'd be successful coercing her to attend the meetings – or in the very least explain why she hadn't.

Now, with him to set the pace, the walk back home was starkly slower and calmer. As he balanced the crates and Amu in the air, he dared to do some small talk, try and establish more common ground with the pinkette.

"If I may ask, why do you all start the day so early?" He looked up at the pinkette who was lying stomach down on the crate. "I mean, I have no complaints about it, if anything it's a good practice, but why before sunrise?"

Amu peeked down from her elevated perch and smiled brightly. "Oh, that. It's simple, really. We do it for inspiration." When he gave her an uncertain look, Amu patiently continued.

"We're artists, Tadase-kun. We make art, and art is a crossroad between inspiration and skill. Skill, we've got plenty of, not to mention our dedication to our craft. But inspiration.." She suddenly leaped from the crate and down towards him. He immediately caught her in his arms, a flabbergasted look on his face. She laughed and gently tapped his forehead. "Inspiration is spontaneous and unpredictable," she winked, sticking out her tongue playfully as she got down to walk with him.

Tadase watched her, a slight blush on his cheeks, as she walked ahead to pluck a daffodil from a bush. She went on to take several blades of long grass and a few dandelions. He watched as her hands wove these seemingly insignificant items and turned them into a pretty crown. "Nature is the best source of inspiration. Who better to inspire an artist than the greatest artist of all?" she said and showed him her creation. "No monster, no _god_ ever thought of making a flower or leaves. Sure, they can create them, but it was Nature that taught them how. Everything that is has always been the product of nature's artistic genius! Just look," she pointed at the yellow petals of the daffodil.

Tadase bent down and observed the intricate patterns that marked the corona of the plant. It was indeed lovely, and he would have never taken the time to appreciate it if Amu had not pointed it out.

"There is no better teacher in the arts than Nature, Tadase. Remember that." She wagged a finger at him, to which he nodded quickly to. "Therefore, isn't it obvious that we take inspiration from her? One can argue we can just go looking for it – and we do, mind you – but what better inspiration to look at than the beautiful painting that is the sunrise? It's a daily exhibition by the greatest artist in the world!"

Amu looked fondly up to the darkening sky, its blue colors streaked with the pinks and oranges of the sunset. "Best of all," she turned to Tadase. "Nature doesn't charge a dime. I wouldn't dare insult such a kind invitation. That's why we get up so early. Every sunrise is different. It's symbolic, it's poetic, and it has been the source of inspiration for many of our pieces." Her voice became a soft sigh as she seemed to relive the experience. "Sunsets are nice as well and we watch it every other night. But….there's just something about the sunrise that really sets my heart ablaze with inspiration."

"Know what I mean?" she smiled at Tadase.

He could only smile at her, and walked up to her. He carefully took the flower crown from her hands and admired it some more. "I believe so. I'm not really an artist but your explanation was enlightening." he said softly. Then, as gently as he could, he placed the crown atop her head. The daffodil matched her eyes, what with their brilliant, golden glow. He smiled to himself as he realized another thing about the floral crown. "A daffodil suits you," he commented. "It symbolizes inspiration and creativity, you know. Kind of like you."

He saw the pinkette's eyes widen from his words. They stared at him, a mixture of shock and then melancholy. Her smile lessened for a fraction, and if Tadase didn't know any better, she seemed almost sad.

But that fraction came to pass and a blush once again graced her face. "Does it?" she whispered. When he nodded, she giggled at him and secured the crown on her head. "Thank you for the compliment, Tadase-kun."

The way she looked at him sent his heart beating faster than he would have liked. He wouldn't be surprised if he had a blush to match her own at this point. If his uncle were here, he was sure the older Kitsune would be prodding all kinds of fun at him. And why wouldn't he? Tadase had never blushed because of a woman, much less a woman who was the reason he was here in the first place, one whose persistent avoidance of required meetings had him dragged way out of his comfort zone and into an alien environment. Yet here he was, a well-groomed Guardian reduced to a blushing kit with just a smile.

He let out the breath he did not know he was holding gave a curt bow to Amu.

"You're welcome, Hinamori-san."

There was no further conversation after his words, the duo walking side by side in a pregnant, comfortable silence. Occasionally they stole glances at each other. When their eyes met, they'd smile or perhaps laugh. At some point, Tadase thought of starting a new topic, but he quickly dismissed it as he noted Amu had become lost in her thoughts looking at the sky, whose sunset colors were beginning to reveal the gleaming twinkle of stars. He kept his silence then and contented himself to simply enjoying the art she had told him about. And indeed, it was gorgeous.

It was at that moment, however, when his eyes were upon the starry sky, that Amu looked at him. Her honey-gold eyes studied his happy face and she too felt his happiness. Her hand went to touch the daffodil on her head. Its soft, velvety texture was all too familiar to her touch.

A wave of nostalgia washed over her, leaving the pinkette with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

* * *

There you go, sweeties!

How was it? Do tell me. Was it too rushed? Perhaps it was rocky in its transitioning? I'd love to hear you constructively criticize ( _or compliment, haha_ ) any part of the chapter. If you found a grammatical error somewhere, feel free to tell me! I'd appreciate it very much! Rate and Review! See you in the next installment, sweeties. ( ó㉨ò)ﾉ


	4. Interlude: The First

Hello, sweeties!

I had an idea. It just popped up in my head as I was writing the fourth chapter. From now on, I will post an Interlude after every three chapters. They are completely relevant to the story - but how and why, I'll let you find out for yourself. I hope you don't mind! In fact, feel free to voice your opinions about it. Feedback is lovely.

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

 **Interlude**

The beginning of everything was a lonely time to be. If one was being at a time when nothing else was, it got terribly quiet, and terribly empty. There was nothing to _be_ with and nothing to have _been_ with. Such was the unfortunate fate of Nature, who came to be first. Nature was everywhere and everything, and yet nothing and nowhere. It had never been specified when it happened, but Nature realized how despicable existing was when there was no one else to co-exist with. To cope with it, Nature referred to itself as "they", as if to trick itself into thinking there was more than one of it. And it worked. For a while.

This little trick wore off faster than they would have liked, and Nature was left to face the bitter loneliness yet again. They despaired for many an eon, hoping and wishing for something to end the loneliness. Perhaps because they had hoped so fervently, so unendingly, that one day, it simply happened. Something had appeared in the vastness of nature, something that wasn't _them_. It moved to its own will, thought of its own accord; it had its own being. Nature was all but overjoyed by this new entity and quickly struck a conversation with it.

" _ **We are Nature, all that is. What are you?**_ " they asked.

" _ **I am that which is not you. I have no name.**_ " the entity replied.

" _ **Oh! Then however are we to know who you are if you are not named?**_ "

" _ **Name me, Nature, for you were the first. Naming is the privilege for the pre-existing**_." The entity sounded so sure of itself and unbending to its belief. This request made Nature think long and hard. This was the first time they ever had anything to decide about. They were adamant about making their first decision a good one. Some time passed before Nature gave their reply.

" _ **You are not part of us. You are of your own being, another entity.**_ " Nature started," _ **Therefore, would you be content if we called you 'Other One'?**_ "

The entity pondered over the name offered to it, but not for long, as it happily nodded. " _ **It will be so. It suits me; it is who I am**_." it said.

And from then on, Nature was not alone. For the first time in eternity, they had someone to share existence with. Even if there was not much to do – not yet anyway – Nature was content with their new companion. Other One likewise enjoyed the friendship it received. Together they existed, and together they enjoyed.

And together, they would begin everything.

* * *

Interludes won't be as long as the actual chapters. They'll definitely be shorter, as they should be. But anywho...how was it? Please feel free to leave a review! The fourth chapter will be up in a few hours!


	5. Pendants and Butterflies

I was _sure_ my midterms were supposed to be this week and not last week...

Sorry for the delay, sweeties! It seems my forgetful streak is making a mean comeback. Nevertheless, I have the newest installment right here, for your viewing pleasure! I hope you enjoy it. It was fun to write - if not a bit complicated in a way - and I hope that fun is transferred to all of you.

Disclaimer: **I obviously do not own any of Shugo Chara!'s canon characters.**

* * *

 **Pendants and Butterflies**

No one needed to wake him up the following morning. He had set a mental alarm the night before, which had him ready and rearing for a new day without a terrifying flight into the garden. The table was already set by the time Tadase came down, much to his disappointment, but he was assured by Nagihiko that it wasn't his job to prepare meals. "That's part of my job," the Tsuchigumo smiled.

"And mine!" Kukai's voice echoed from inside.

Due to his help yesterday, Amu decided he was allowed to eat vegetables first in meals. He was very grateful for her reconsideration. She reminded him he still had to eat more meat though, but at that point, Tadase was fine with it. As long as he had vegetables first, he'd be okay. It was also during breakfast that Amu announced a new job for Tadase to do when he wasn't behind the counter. He listened intently, whilst he indulged himself in a few slices of bacon wedged between bread slices.

"Since we _finally_ have someone that can levitate things, I've decided you'll be helping with some of the bigger deliveries," she said as she munched down on an apple. "I hope you don't mind that, Tadase-kun." The Kitsune shook his head and gave a small thumbs up. It was no problem at all. If anything, it would be an opportunity to learn more about the glass dragon's way of operating her business – not to mention gain her favor. Besides, accounting for the transactions of the Glass Turtle was far too easy. As far as he could tell, everything was in order and there were no mysterious purchases that complicated any of the expenses. All he really had to do was add things up and record it.

Kukai came out of the house with two plates of steak balanced on his arms. "That's great news! I'm delivering this really big butterfly statue for a client today. You can help me out!" the Fire Dragon grinned. "I mean, I could carry it myself and all that jazz, but there's a few extra glass pieces I have to bring along and, well, you know how glass is." Yaya furthered the point by mimicking the shattering sound of glass, to which both gingers laughed in agreement.

Tadase nodded. "I'll make sure nothing falls while we deliver it."

Amu's face brightened. "Wonderful! I'll have Betty get ready after breakfast then!" she said.

"Betty?" Tadase inquired, his gaze shifting to Amu. He had never heard of nor seen an employee called Betty before. Perhaps she had been out when he applied for the job? No, he thought, Amu would have mentioned her. Well, unless..

"Oh, that's right! I forgot to tell you about her!" Amu slapped her forehead with a groan. "Betty is a _very_ important member of the Glass Turtle shop since she handles deliveries. I can't believe I forgot to introduce you to her!"

"There you go with your forgetfulness, Amu. How could you forget Betty?" Kukai laughed.

"Ooh, you'll just adore her, Tadase-chi! She gives the best hugs!" Yaya giggled.

"She's quite the lady." Nagihiko said as he sipped some juice.

"She's not too fond of strangers though. Careful she doesn't attack you." Rima said coolly.

Tadase was quite impressed with this Betty character – if not a bit intimidated due to Rima's comment. He listened to the monsters say a few more things about this sixth member of the shop, like how Betty learned new things unbelievably fast, or how big and strong she was, or how quickly she could hunt down any thief and rip them to shreds.

The last bit made him bite his tongue in shock. "R-rip to shreds?" he echoed.

Amu waved it off as an "exaggeration", adding that Betty would only rip the thief's _clothes_ to shreds. Somehow, that didn't make things any better. "I'll introduce you to her after breakfast. Betty likes to eat by herself most of the time. Only eats with us on really big occasions," Amu said before taking a sip of water.

Despite the unmistakable nervousness he felt crawl through his skin, Tadase had to admit that he was excited to meet this woman. If Betty was as amazing as everyone was building her up to be, he had to be extra careful to make a good first impression with her. "Sure, Hinamori-san," he smiled cheerfully.

~••~••~••~••~••~

They weren't joking when they said Betty was a big girl.

When Amu had led him to the other half of the backyard, the part that was cut off by tall grass hedges, he was not expecting to see a rather large shed resting near the edge of it. He was not expecting the door to it being thrice his height either. Therefore it was accurate to say he had absolutely no expectation to see what he believed was the largest dog creature he had ever seen come out of it. Standing at almost ten feet tall, the creature easily towered over them. It spotted them when he let out a small gasp, nearly scaring the sense out of him when it _charged_ right at them.

He was half-expecting to be trampled by the thing when Amu raced past him and towards the furry freight train. "Betty! How was breakfast?!" the pinkette all but squealed in delight. Tadase watched, dumbstruck, as Amu tackle-hugged Betty – nearly knocking the both of them to the ground as she did. "You're looking good, you cheery chimera!" Betty let out a happy whine and buried its face into Amu's shoulder.

"Chimera?" Tadase breathed.

Tadase knew what Chimeras were. Traditionally they were grotesque amalgamations that consisted of a lion and goat head sharing the same body, and often with a serpent for a tail. They were considered dangerous beasts under the "Feral" category of monsters – monsters that lacked moral sentience, or simply functioned on primal instincts. Variations of these monsters were rare. Chimeras that did not fit this description were often "artificial" or man-made by devious individuals. These subspecies did not live long, however, and were often killed due to their uncontrollable power.

 _Betty_ was one of them? The overgrown sheepdog-llama-goat-horse-drake hybrid that was getting her tummy rubbed by a happy pinkette was an actual Chimera?

It was simply mind-boggling, if Tadase were to describe the situation. He stared at this fascinating creature. He noted Betty's body, how it seemed to be both canine and equine in structure. Her neck, though very llama-like in form, held up a very horse-like head. Said head housed razor-sharp canines, as he could clearly see whenever Betty opened her mouth to give Amu slobbery dog kisses. Betty's legs didn't really match either. While her forelegs were obviously dog-like, her hind legs were hooved. It wasn't that easy to spot, seeing as how she was covered in a thick coat of…fur? Wool? But it was definitely her tail that stood out the most.

While the rest of her at least tried to blend nicely together, the chimera's long, prehensile drake tail stuck out like a sore thumb. Its golden scales shone over the softer whites and yellows of her fur…wool…wooly fur.

On the whole though, Betty looked way too lovely to be classified as a terrifying Chimera.

"H-hey! That tickles, Betty!" Amu giggled when the chimera's tongue rasped over her neck. "Instead of bathing me with love, how about you greet our new member over there?" She pointed to where Tadase was, prompting Betty to shift her attention to the struck blonde.

The chimera tilted her head and sniffed, taking in the male's scent with what seemed to be caution – it was hard to tell since her fur covered her eyes. Betty walked up to Tadase. Her steps were slow, following the steady beat of her flicking tail. When she was less than a foot away the chimera bent down and loudly sniffed at the blonde. Her breath was almost scalding on his sensitive skin and when Tadase looked up, he finally saw the eyes of this enormous creature. They peered at him, as though looking into his very soul, but despite their piercing stare, the soft blue eyes held nothing but friendly curiosity.

Finally she broke eye contact and opted to gently shove his chest with her head, huffing and whining as she did. He looked up to Amu for help, to which the pinkette, smiling, said, "Pet her."

He complied, earning a satisfied woof from the chimera as his fingers ran through her soft wooly fur.

Tadase laughed when Betty gave him a huge, slobbery kiss on his cheek, effectively drenching half his face in sticky chimera saliva. "O-oh, well, nice to meet you too," he said, petting her once more before the chimera pulled back, a content smile on her face.

Amu joined him, affectionately stroking Betty's neck as she laughed at their soaked appearance. "I probably should have mentioned she likes kissing people." Her smile made all the unease go away and he couldn't help but smile awkwardly. He really _wasn't_ expecting this either. "So," Tadase began, "Betty's a chimera? I have honestly never seen one like her before."

"Unique, isn't she? I found her years ago in a box of all places. She was just a pup then. I have no idea where she's from."

"Was there anything written on the box?"

"Only the words 'TAKE IT, PLEASE'."

"That sounds ominous."

"Nah, they probably just could handle a sweetie like her." Amu turned to Betty and placed several kisses on the chimera's forehead, which in turn sent the creature's tail wagging like crazy. "Isn't that right, Betty? Who's a sweetie?" Amu cooed, followed by several barks from the chimera.

"Frankly it doesn't matter where Betty came from. She needed a home and I had one to share, so now she's my precious family _and_ official delivery girl." Amu pointed to a nearby empty carriage. Tadase assumed that it had some kind of enchantment on it for when they needed to deliver items in human-populated areas. The slight shine along the wooden body of the carriage seemed to support his assumption. _So that's what we'll be riding in_. He flinched when Betty suddenly moved; she was finished with the affection and trotted towards the carriage, seemingly knowing what was in store for her. He watched, quite amused, as the chimera went to a nearby box and took out a set of reins and a few straps. She paused only to look back at him and waved the things at him. It was almost as if she were saying, "What are you waiting for?"

The Kitsune followed Amu's lead and took the carriage tools from the chimera. Saddling Betty up was a breeze to do since she behaved so well. She even signaled to Tadase that he had tied her back strap too loose, prompting him to tighten it accordingly. Kukai eventually arrived on the scene with a few crates. He loaded them up into the carriage, giving Betty a friendly head rub as he passed by, being careful not to move them around too much.

"Tadase, I'll need your help with the main piece. She's a big one." Kukai waved to the blonde.

The Kitsune excused himself from the girls and followed the fire dragon into the Baking Room. The main piece was carefully packed into a very large crate – larger than the ones he lifted yesterday. Still, it wouldn't be too much of a problem for him. It took a bit more concentration but in the end, he got the crate floating in the air, much to Kukai's joy. The ginger gave him yet another painful slap on the back as he complimented Tadase's skill, almost making the poor blonde lose his grip on the crate. When he got to know the ginger better, Tadase thought to himself, he'd tell Kukai not to put so much strength in his slaps.

Betty was fully geared up when they came with the crate. Amu stood idly by the chimera's side, whispering kind words into the creature's ear. Betty would nuzzle into the pinektte's touch in response, delighted in the attention she was being given. It was a pleasant thing to witness, Tadase was sure of that. Amu's smile got his heart thrumming yet again. He placed a hand to his chest, feeling it thump loudly as he watched her. Why did his heart react so responsively to her? What did it mean, he wondered to himself. This had never happened to him before, not to anyone.

Perhaps he felt a similar thing with his heart when he had almost fallen from a cliff as a child, but it was not fear that caused his heart to thrum now like it did back then. It was another reason entirely, although exactly what he was unsure of.

"Okay, ease it onto the carriage! That's it! Just a little bit….there! Perfect!" He was careful to follow Kukai's instructions. He couldn't afford to damage a commission. It would negatively affect his co-workers' outlook towards him if he did – not when he had _just_ began working.

Tadase decided to settle himself on the rider's box seat while Kukai tied the crates down. Amu climbed up next to him shortly after and, since the box seat wasn't so big, they had to squeeze against each other a bit to fit. Amu didn't seem to mind the close proximity as much as he did. She had a faint blush on her cheeks, but it was nothing compared to his, that Tadase was sure of. It was times like these when he really cursed his social awkwardness. If only he had been a social butterfly like his older brother was. Kiseki never had trouble with these situations.

Luckily for Tadase, Amu was not socially awkward, and therefore picked up his unease at the closeness. "Oh, right. Personal space," she said and jumped onto Betty back. This earned the pinkette a surprised whinny from the chimera, who followed up with a somewhat irritated huff. Amu simply petted Betty's head in apology. "Anyway, I wanted to give you a heads up on the client you're going to meet. Hope that's okay with you?" The pinkette continued when he nodded.

"The client, Utau Hoshina, is a bit of a snappy turtle. Well, you can't really blame her, what with the fame and the pressure from the public since she's an idol, but you've got to be _very_ careful you don't offend her. You're familiar with Utau, right?" Amu pointed at him.

He did, actually. It was honestly difficult _not_ to know who Utau Hoshina was. The Banshee-Siren half-blood was one of the biggest names in entertainment. She had risen to stardom without prior warning, taking the world by storm and had since kept her prestigious position among the entertainment giants. Every concert she had usually sold out in minutes after tickets were released. Some folks went so far as to buy tickets half a year prior to the actual event. That was just how in demand the woman was. Tadase had been fortunate enough to attend one of her concerts as a V.I.P. His uncle, a fan of Utau's work, had brought him along to witness her "magical self". Needless to say, she was utterly beautiful. And her singing voice? Unparalleled by any other in her generation. However, he never got to talk to the monstress first-hand, so he knew not of her personality.

"I know of her, yes." Tadase replied.

"Utau has a tendency to change her mind about where she wants her commissions to go. She might want it by the window but just as you finally move it there, she decides it might look better with the piano – on the other side of the room. Kukai nearly threw his back out with all her decision-changing." Amu leaned in close and whispered, "Just between you and me though, I'm pretty sure she just wanted to spend more time with him." She gave a meaningful wink at Tadase.

"You mean Kukai and her are..?" His eyes widened.

"Mmhmm! Oh, but you can't tell anyone about that. They like to keep what they have low profile." Amu waved her hands down to emphasize her point.

"Keep what low profile?" Kukai's voice rang out.

Tadase restrained a smile from appearing on his face as the ginger dragon approached the two of them. Amu shook her head at the dragon. "Your flirting, that's what, lover boy." She grinned at Kukai's reddening face.

"Why you…!" he hissed at her.

The pinkette just laughed and leaped to the ground. "Anyway, good luck with the delivery! Send Utau my regards, Kukai. Oh, and Tadase, keep that ember-brain from breaking the statue, okay?" She slipped back into the house before Kukai could throw an insult at her, causing the fire dragon to huff a cloud of black smoke into the air in frustration. He eventually calmed down, much to Tadase's amusement, and hopped into the box seat. "Hey, who adjusted the seat size?" Kukai said. The ginger pulled on a hidden lever and, with a mechanical groan, the seat expanded in size. Now it was the perfect size for two monsters to sit in.

"Ready to go, Tadase-kun?" Kukai grinned at the Kitsune.

Tadase nodded. "Ready."

Kukai grabbed the reins and snapped it in the air with a loud crack. Betty reared up with a loud whinny and immediately shot off like a rocket. The force of her launch had Tadase lurch back in his seat. He felt his claws dig into the cushion of his seat.

He did _not_ expect the ride to be so fast.

The Kitsune had a hard time keeping his eyes open, what with the harsh winds whipping at his face. The carriage gained speed with every large bound Betty made, which made the force on him get heavier and heavier. "Hold on to your head!" he heard Kukai shout. With another loud crack, Betty let out a thunderous howl. A gem attached to her harness glowed in response, shooting out a beam of light that opened into a portal. Tadase could hear Betty's steps grow as loud as war drums. The chimera was practically tearing up the road at the speed she was going at. When she leaped into the rip of space, Tadase could only shut his eyes and brace himself. In the moment before the carriage entered through the rip, a thought came to him.

Why on Earth didn't Amu warn him about _this_ part?

~••~••~••~••~••~

Tadase was grateful that he did not hurl his breakfast when the carriage exited the portal. The ride had been so dizzy, so wobbly, he was unsure why he _hadn't_ thrown up. "Whew, I just love that part!" he heard Kukai whoop. The blonde looked up to see the fire dragon grinning like a child. _He liked that?_ Tadase looked at his partner incredulously. _How could anyone like that? I was nearly blown off the carriage!_ Yet while his mind was screaming in displeasure, his face wore a composed smile. "Indeed," he said curtly. Tadase combed his hair back into place with a hand, noting how cold his skin had become.

Well, he thought, anyone would have the blood drained out of them after experiencing that.

Or maybe he was just weak.

It was probably the latter.

The color was only _just_ returning to his face when he helped Kukai unload the precious cargo. The dizziness from the ride made levitating the items a tad more challenging than he would have liked, but Tadase would never say it out loud. He endured the extra strain silently and quite convincingly, and he was proud of that. It was a silly, childish pride, true, but one he could add to the miniscule pile of things about himself he was proud of. He seriously needed more of those. It would do wonders on his self-esteem.

Thankfully, they weren't far from their destination. Betty had brought them right in front of a large, roomy mansion, its location at the foot of a mountain. Several monsters were tending to the trees and shrubs that decorated the pristine lawn. They didn't seem the least perturbed by the carriage's sudden arrival. It was obvious this had happened before; none of the monsters even batted an eye at them, too absorbed in their work. "Hey, where's Utau?" Kukai shouted to a man trimming a tree.

"In the parlor, sir. She's waiting for the commission." the man said with a sniff.

Tadase saw Kukai's mouth drop. "Ah, crap. She's pissed off," he heard the fire dragon say. He was practically hauled by Kukai into the mansion, going on about how Utau was going to have his head for making her wait. It was too bad they were in a rush though. Tadase had seen some lovely paintings on the walls as they ran through the halls. They also passed a few glass statues – most probably from the shop – but he was not able to admire them either.

If he ever got the chance to come back here, he would try to find time to look at them all.

They, quite literally, burst open the doors of the parlor room in their rush to make it in time. The sudden noise caused the woman in the room to squeak in surprise before scowling at the two who had entered. Tadase recognized the monstress immediately.

There, sitting on a large wicker chair with plants surrounding her, wearing a jet black summer dress that highlighted the blonde hair she kept in two semi-buns, was Utau Hoshina. Her eyes, a blazing pair of deep purple glared daggers at them, her full lips thinned into a frown. "Well," she said. "I'm glad you _finally_ decided to show up."

Even though it was obvious she was angry at them, Tadase found it hard not to get trapped by the melodious sound of her voice. The fact that it echoed through the large room didn't help either. A siren's voice had hypnotizing qualities, ones the race used in ancient times to lure sailors to their deaths. That, coupled with the deathly enrapturing mellowness of a banshee's voice, greatly doubled the effect.

He was grateful that his mind was too busy keeping the crates levitated, otherwise he might have swooned at the singer's voice. Kukai didn't seem affected by the voice itself, but rather by the harshness of the tone – much like any boyfriend who knew their girlfriend was going to kill them. It made sense, Tadase thought. It was a known fact that a banshee or siren's significant other usually became immune to their voice. The ginger straightened up and cleared his throat. "Don't get your hair in a twist, Utau, I had to make sure I didn't forget anything for your statue." Kukai met her gaze head on. "I thought you'd be proud of me. I mean, I _am_ only five minutes late." The fire dragon's smile was shot down with a withering glare, much to Kukai's dismay.

"You're still late though." Utau said coldly.

"Aww, come on, Tau. It's practically in my genes to be late for everything!"

"You'd be late for your own funeral if you could."

"That's not entirely impossible, yeah."

With a sigh, Utau waved for Kukai to bring the crates forward. Kukai grinned victoriously before remembering that Tadase was with him. "Oh yeah! Almost forgot about you, dude." the ginger said. He pushed the kitsune in front of him for the singer to see. Utau quirked a brow at the blonde and then to Kukai. Tadase blushed at the sudden shift of attention. He had been perfectly content with being in the backround.

"And he is..?" Utau drawled.

"He's our newest member in the shop! Tau, meet Tadase." Kukai replied.

Tadase hastily bowed his head. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Utau-san. I apologize for our tardiness." He tried his best to meet the singer's stare but bailed out the last second, opting to look at the floor. When he straightened up, he was relieved to see that Utau's expression had softened – but only a bit. She nodded at him. "Well, at least this one has manners," he heard her say, although it was more to Kukai than to him. That made the fire dragon harrumph and stick his tongue out at the singer. "You can put the crates here, Tadase. I'll work on the finishing touches, so, uh, try to talk to Utau; keep her occupied." Tadase didn't get a word in the matter and was pushed forward, towards the siren-banshee. He looked at Kukai with uncertainty.

Talk? Socialize? With a critical celebrity?

But the fire dragon had already begun to pull the crates to the ground and open them, getting absorbed into his work. Tadase sighed inwardly. This was exhausting. He wasn't confident in his ability to talk to a stranger. He could talk to Amu, sure, but the pinkette was an entirely different case. With her, Tadase felt at ease. Even if she made his heart beat hitch when she'd smile at him, or had him go red when she'd tease him, he felt comfortable around her. Utau was not Amu. Not by a long shot.

He walked up to the singer nervously, keeping his hands behind him as they clenched together tightly. "I was asked to keep you company, um, if you are fine with that," he said softly.

Utau's eyes held him in a cold grip as she looked him up and down. "Well, I suppose it's all right. You seem decent." The monstress shrugged, motioning with a hand for him to sit on a nearby chair. He complied with a nod and fidgeted around once he was seated. He had to think of something to talk about. But what does one talk about to a world-famous celebrity? He knew that if he wasn't careful, he'd end up sounding like the paparazzi, which any self-respecting entertainer despised for the invasive nature of their questions. It had to be something the blonde singer would be willing to talk about, something personal but not _too_ private.

That was when he noticed it.

There, pinned carefully on the singer's dress, was a bejeweled glass brooch. The accessory itself was a G-cleft with wings, one wing angelic, and the other demonic. "That's a lovely brooch. Is that from the shop?" The words were out before he could re-think it. Luckily for him, Utau didn't seem to mind. If anything, judging by how the singer's eyes brightened, she was pleased with the question. He watched her handle it fondly, her fingers ghosting over the cool surface before nodding at him.

"It is. I got it as a gift from Amu." Her voice came out kinder when she spoke. "I was at what you'd call a low point in my life. I had seriously thought about quitting show business during that time but she helped me back up and made me this to remind me of my victory over my insecurities." He was surprised when the singer smiled happily – with no edge whatsoever – and took it off to give him a closer look.

"You see this line of gold along the body?" She pointed at the thin crack that had been sealed with the glittering metal. "Kukai dropped this once - that silly goof - and chipped it. I was ready to tear his head off but then he filled it up and, to my surprise, it looked better than it was before."

He saw Utau glance at the said ginger with a fondness he didn't know she had for the guy. "In a way, it's a gift from both of them," she said and clipped it back onto her dress. "It's my lucky charm, I suppose."

"They say that charms become stronger when they're given by people who care about you," he added, to which Utau nodded in agreement. "My charm is _very_ powerful. Oh, but don't tell Kukai I said that. Silly dragon will let it get to his head," the singer smiled.

After that question, Tadase found himself easing into other topics to talk about. He mentioned about the paintings she had on the walls, how he thought them all to be quite lovely, and how there were so many glass statues around the mansion. He was delighted to know that Utau was secretly an avid-art collector, spending a lot of her free time hunting for rare paintings that appealed to her eyes. She even confessed that she sometimes asked Kukai or Amu to find some for her when she was busy with work.

The singer told him about the time when Amu had visited her – in the middle of a powerful storm of all times– just to give her a painting the pinkette had found in Germany. Amu had been totally drenched from head to toe. It had given Utau quite the shock when she opened the door. She quickly let the pinkette in, lecturing her about finding the appropriate time to deliver gifts. "She didn't even seem to care that she was sopping wet. I was about to scold her some more but then," Utau paused to stifle a laugh, "she unwraps the canvas she brought, and it's a painting of these three kittens in a basket."

Tadase smiled when the singer broke into a small giggle, clearly amused by whatever she was remembering.

"She tells me that they were supposed to be us. The pinkish white kitten was her, the blonde one in the middle was me, and Kukai was the ginger kitten. I look at the kittens and I can see what she means, but then I notice that my kitten has this scowl on its face and I say, 'Why am _I_ the only one frowning?', and she tells me, 'That's because you have to look after me and Kukai!'." Utau's giggles became louder as she continued. She had to wipe a tear that had formed in her eyes, trying to calm herself by taking deep breaths. "I get mad of course. I tell Amu that I look nothing like that, but then she laughs harder and points to a nearby mirror. I look at it and -" Another laugh escaped the singer's mouth. "- I see that I'm frowning _exactly_ like the kitten in the painting!"

Tadase could imagine the glee on the pinkette's face when she proved Utau wrong. Amu would have probably been shaking from all the laughing, he imagined, her cheeks going red in the process. He watched Utau try to contain her laughter in vain, and he assumed the blonde had eventually joined Amu in laughter.

He could hardly believe he was witnessing someone doing a 180° personality flip.

He had seen it happen in movies, but he never thought he'd get to see it happen in real life, and with a celebrity of all people.

Utau probably noticed him staring, as she quickly straightened up, clearing her throat of the last giggles still left in her. "Well, anyways, I ended up hanging that painting in my room. I like to look at it when I need a good laugh," she muttered.

"I'm sure it does that pretty well." He offered a kind smile.

"More than I'd like it to sometimes." Utau shrugged.

The awkwardness he had felt eventually vanished as he found more and more things to talk about with the singer. They shared their opinions on different kinds of art, both agreeing that Abstract was the hardest to appreciate. Tadase found it hard not to compare such works to the drawings of a child. Utau found some works to look absolutely lazy – like the blank canvas with a single black dot in the center. Of course, that wasn't the only thing they had in common.

They both agreed that tea was far superior to coffee.

They both found it hard to express their feelings honestly.

They both _really_ enjoyed Amu's company.

"To be honest, I found her pretty annoying." Utau said. "She was the first person to talk back to me in years. That happened when I bought my first statue from then."

The singer told him of how Amu sent a plate full of sass Utau's way when the former had been too picky about the statue's location. "We argued every time she and Kukai delivered my commissions. I even thought of ordering from someone else, but no one could make glass statues like her. Eventually, our fighting became bickering, then teasing, and before I could fully grasp it, I found myself looking forward to seeing her."

The look Utau was showing him was enough to tell the kitsune just how fond of the pinkette she was.

"After that, she got me to talk to Kukai. We ended up dating, and then I had _two_ people to look forward to seeing." She spared him a kind look and smile. "Perhaps, Tadase-kun, it might become three."

Tadase's brows arched up in surprise. "Really?" he said softly.

"Perhaps." Utau repeated with a smirk.

He was about to say something, thank the singer for her offer of friendship, when Kukai suddenly sat beside him. Tadase gave a small yelp and almost jumped out of his seat. He didn't, of course, but he was very close.

"Aand, I'm done! Check it out, guys!" Kukai was grinning despite the few shimmering glass dust that covered his face.

Tadase turned to have a look at the finished work, his eyes widening when they finally focused on the finished commission.

Standing at a tall seven feet, a tree made of emerald and gold proudly gleamed under the light. The leaves, all of which sparkled in a multitude of colors, weren't leaves at all. They were butterflies. Oh how they glistened and sparkled a beautiful rainbow, their gem-studded wings held by the thinnest sheen of glass and gold. The light bounced off each butterfly, decorating the room with their shine. The glass figures seemed so life-like, so _alive_ , that Tadase wouldn't have been surprised if they all just flew off the branches and zoomed around the room.

And to his delight, they did.

It started with only a ruby butterfly. It fluttered its wings for a few times before launching itself into the air. Once there, it lazily travelled around the confines of the parlor, and even flew above Tadase's head, before landing back onto the branch. An amethyst butterfly flew next, and then an opal one, and then a topaz one….

Pretty soon there were dozens of jeweled butterflies flying about the room, alternating from perching and flying in apparent harmony.

"Amu made all these little buggers just for you, Tau." Kukai eventually spoke.

"She's really outdone herself…" was all the monstress could reply.

She reached out to a blue butterfly that had wandered close to her and looked upon it fondly when it landed on her finger. "It's like she read my mind." She gave the little statue a small kiss, which made the statue glisten even brighter as it flew off the singer's hands.

"Best of all," Kukai said. "We made sure they won't wander off too far. They'll never fly away from the tree. And when you leave the room, they'll all go to sleep till you come back." Utau gave a small nod, but she was much too distracted with what she could call her own butterfly tree.

Tadase, too, was lost in thought as he watched these statues, statues made by Amu herself, fluttered about so very much like their living counter-parts. He had heard of glass dragons being able to breathe life into what they made. The level of animation a statue could have depended entirely on the creator's skill and power. Having it simply turn around on its stand and blink was one thing, but animating a horde of statues – no matter how small – to perfectly imitate actual movement was a whole other case.

It took a dragon decades if not centuries of constant practice and even then one might never be able to reach such a level as Amu had. How did Amu obtain such power so young? How could she possibly be this skilled? The records he had on her mentioned of her proficiency in glass making, but it had never described it to this extent.

Just how much did Seiyo actually know about her?

How much did _he_ know about her?

 _Apparently very little_.

And this bothered him to no end, this not knowing. He detested it. He needed to know more about Amu, especially about her powers. He wanted to know more about her. The mysterious air that she had from the time they met seemed to have thickened now. It shrouded her in its fog, prodding him, almost tantalizing him to find out what really hid behind its veil.

Was the pinkette hiding some incredible power from everyone? Did she have a dark secret she kept, one that was behind the reason of her tardiness in meetings? If so, was this secret a threat to society? To the world?

It was then, after he and Kukai had been thanked by Utau, and when the payment had been given, as they rode back to the shop in Betty's carriage, that Tadase made a decision.

He would find out exactly how strong the pinkette was.

* * *

In the anime, I always hoped that Amu and Utau would be good friends, so when it actually happened, I was more than pleased. I'll probably expand on their friendship in some other chapter, but for now, Tadase's got some investigating to do, yes?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please Rate and Review! Till next time, sweeties!


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